Packing machines



Oct. 16, 1962 R. w. E. MossE ETAL 3,958,277

PACKING MACHINES Filed March 7, 1961 13 Sheets-Sheet l 7 I 3 ifnuenfors.

RICHARD WOLFGANG EMIL MOSSE HAROLD COOKSON PETER CHARLES VIRGO GEORGE DOUGLAS MILES Attorneys.

Oct. 16, 1962 R. w. E. MOSSE ETAL 3,058,277

PACKING MACHINES Filed March 7, 1961 13 Sheets-Sheet 2 RICHARD WOLFGANG EMIL MOSSE HAROLD COOKSON PETER CHARLES VIRGO GEORGE DOUGLAS MILES By Q A tlorneys.

Oct. 16, 1962 R. w. E. MOSSE ETAL 3,058,277

PACKING MACHINES Filed March 7, 1961 13 Sheets-Sheet 5 fave/11ers. 3

\ RICHARD WOLFGANG EMIL MOSSE HAROLD COOKSON PETER CHARLES ,VIRGO GEORGE DOUGLAS MILES B, ZMMM A ltorneys.

Oct. 16, 1962 R. w. E. MOSSE ETAL 3,058,277

PACKING MACHINES l3 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed March 7, 1961 r M e m RICHARD WOLFGANG EMIL MOSSE HAROLD COOKSON PETER CHARLES VIRGO GEORGE DOUGLES MILES Attorneys Oct. 16, 1962 R. w. E. MOSSE ETAL 3,0

7 PACKING MACHINES Filed March '7, 1961 I J 13 Sheets-Sheet 5 l4 RICHARD WOLFGANG EMIL MOSSE HAROLD COOKSON PETER CHARLES VIRGO GEORGE DOUGLAS MILES QMM Attorneys.

R, w. E. MOSSE ETAL PACKING MACHINES l5 Sheets-Sheet 6 Filed March 7, 1961 lnuemars.

RICHARD WOLFGANG EMIL MOSSE HAROLD COOKSON PETER CHARLES VIRGO GEORGE DOUGLAS MILES A ttorney5 Oct. 16, 1962 R. w. E. MOSSE ETAL 3,058,277

PACKING MACHINES 15 Sheets-Sheet 7 Filed March 7, 1961 frwenfors.

RKIHARD WOLFGAN EM". "055E HAROLD CDOKSON PETER CHARLES VIRGO GEORGE DOUGLAS MILES by M I Attorneys.

Oct. 16, 1962 R. w. E. MOSSE ETAL 3,058,277

PACKING MACHINES Filed March 7, 1961 13 Sheets-Sheet 8 fnuemars.

RICHARD WOLFGANG EMIL MOSSE HAROLD COOKSON PETER CHARLES VIRGO GEORGE DOUGLAS MILES Attorneys.

Oct. 16, 1962 R. w. E. MOSSE ETAL 3,058,277

PACKING MACHINES Filed March 7,1961 15 Sheets-Sheet 9 E w. 0 x Q [nuen/ars.

75 7/ RICHARD WOLFGANG EMIL MOSSE HAROLD COOKSON PETER CHARLES vmco aromas DOUGLAS muss Attorneys.

Oct. 16, 1962 R. w. E. MOSSE ETAL PACKING MACHINES Filed March 7, 1961 15 Sheets-Sheet 1O Attorneys.

Oct. 16, 1962 R. w. E. MOSSE ETAL 3,05

PACKING MACHINES l3 Sheets-Sheet 11 Filed March 7, 1961 [HOE/IiDF RICHARD WOLFGANG EMII. MOSSE HAROLD COOKSON PETER CHARLES vmeo GEORGE DOUGLAS MILES A ilorneys.

Oct. 16, 1962 R. w. E. MOSSE ETAL 3,058,277

PACKING MACHINES Filed March 7, 1961 15 Sheets-Sheet 12 [nuenlars RICHARD WOLFGANG EMIL MOSSE HAROLD CDOKSON PETER CHARLES VIRGO GEORGE DOUQLAS MILES Attorneys.

Oct. 16, 1962 R. w. E. MOSSE ETAL I 3,058,277

PACKING MACHINES Filed March 7, 1961 15 Sheets-Sheet 13 Illlllllllllllll lllllllllllllllllllln fnuemors. 7 2/ mcumw WOLFGANG EMIL nossE HAROLD COOKSON PETER CHARLES VIRGO GEORQE DOUGLAS MILES By M A lforneys.

3,058,277 PACKING MAC a 8 Richard Wolfgang Emil Mosse, London, Harold Cookson, Portsmouth, Peter Charles Virgo, Waterlooville, and George Douglas Miles, Chiswick, London, England, assignors to The Metal Box Company Limited, London, England, a British company Filed Mar. 7, 1961, Ser. No. 93fi1 Claims priority, application Great Britain Mar. 11, 1965) 16 Claims. ((1 53284) This invention relates to packing machines and in particular to a machine for packing an article, for example an assemblage consisting of a number of fragile or easily damaged products such as eggs or fruit, and retaining members by which they are held in spaced relation, in a container made of cardboard or like material comprising a four-sided body consisting of atop, a bottom, and two opposite sides, said sides having article-retaining portions foldable towards the interior of the container to retain an article therein while permitting inspection of the article through the open ends of the container. In one form of the container the article-retaining portions comprise container-reinforcing elements which extend from the opposite ends of said sides and which are hingedly connected thereto to extend partly across the open ends of the body and be connected to the top and bottom by retaining flaps formed in extension of the corner-reinforcing elements.

It is a main object of the invention to provide a machine for packing articles in containers of the kind above referred to, which machine is of relatively small cornpass, is simple in operation, provides ease of access for maintenance, and is relatively economical to produce and operate.

According to the invention there is provided a machine for packing an article in a container made of cardboard or like material and comprising an open ended four-sided body consisting of a top, a bottom, and two opposite sides, said sides having article-retaining portions foldable towards the interior of the container to retain an article therein while permitting inspection of the article through the open ends of the container, said machine comprising a conveyor movable intermittently in one direction and provided with container-locating members engageable with said opposite sides of the container, pusher means operable to insert an article into a container positioned between said locating members, and folder elements operable to engage said article retaining portions and to fold them inwards towards the interior of the container.

Further according to the invention there is provided a machine for packnig an article in a container made of cardboard or like material comprising a four-sided body consisting of a top, a bottom, and two opposite sides, said sides at the opposite ends thereof being provided with container-reinforcing elements hingedly connected thereto to extend partly across the open ends of the body and be connected to the top and bottom by retaining flaps formed in extension of the corner-reinforcing elements, said machine comprising a conveyor movable intermittently in one direction and provided with containerlocating members engageable with said opposite sides of a container, pusher means operable to insert an article into a container positioned between said locating members, folder elements operable to fold the corner-reinforcing elements of the container across the open ends thereof with the retaining flaps disposed respectively in overlying and underlying relation with the top and bottom of the container, and retaining flap connecting means operable to effect connection of said flaps with the top and bottom of the container.

In order that the invention may be clearly understood one embodiment thereof will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 illustrates a container to be packed by a machine according to the invention,

FIGURE 2 illustrates an article to be contained in the container,

FIGURE 3 illustrates the container in the collapsed condition thereof in which it is placed into a magazine embodied in the machine,

FIGURE 4 is a diagrammatic top plan of a machine according to the invention,

FIGURE 5 is an elevation looking in the direction of arrow V, FIGURE 4,

FIGURE 6 is an elevation looking in the direction of arrow VI, FIGURE 4,

FIGURE 7 is an end elevation of a container-locating member embodied in the machine,

FIGURE 8 is a view looking in the direction of arrow VIII, FIGURE 7,

FIGURE 9 illustrates apparatus for feeding containers from a magazine,

FIGURE 10 is a section on line X--X, FIGURE 9,

FIGURE 11 is a view looking in the direction of arrow XI, FIGURE 9,

FIGURE 12 is a pictorial view of the container as it is set up on a container locating member below a magazine,

FIGURE 13 illustrates, partly in section mechanism for conditioning certain flaps of the container,

FIGURE 14 is a view looking in the direction of arrow XIV, FIGURE 13,

FIGURE 15 is a section on line XV--XV, FIG- URE 13,

FIGURE 16 illustrates mechanism for feeding an article into a container,

FIGURE 17 is a section on line XVIIXVII, FIG- URE 16,

FIGURE 18 illustrates apparatus for folding flaps provided on the container.

FIGURE 19 is a section on line XIXXIX, FIGURE 18,

1 FIGURE 20 is a section on line XX--XX, FIGURE FIGURE 21 illustrates a part of the apparatus shown in FIGURE 19, and

FIGURE 22 is a section on line XXII-XXII FIGURE 1 and illustrates the manner in which tags formed on container corner-reinforcing flaps are locked in position.

FIGURES 1 to 3 illustrate one form of container to be packed by a machine according to the invention made of cardboard or similar material and comprising a foursided body of oblong rectangular cross-section having a top 1, a bottom 2, and two opposite sides 3,4each of which may be provided with apertures through which the contents of the container can be inspected. Hinged to each end of each side is a corner-reinforcing element 5 which, during a packing operation, is folded across the end of the body to extend only partly across the end so that the contents of the container can also be inspected through the opposite ends of the container. Each corner-reinforcing element has formed in continuation thereof a pair of retaining flaps 6 arranged respectively to be connected to the top and the bottom of the container body to retain the corner-reinforcing flaps in the infolded positions thereof. The retaining flaps are provided with locking tags 7, FIG- URE 3, which are inserted through holes 8 pre-formed respectively in the top and the bottom of the body thereby to retain the corner-reinforcing elements in the infolded positions thereof. The top and the bottom of the body also respectively have hinged to the opposite ends thereof top and bottom end flaps 9, 10 which are infolded to underlie the corner-reinforcing elements 5.

The article to be inserted into the container is considered to be an assemblage, FIGURE 2, comprising a plurality of eggs 11 retained in spaced relation by retaining elements 12 which engage the opposite ends of the eggs but do not enclose them thereby permitting them to be inspected at least through the open ends of the container without the necessity of removing them from the container. It is, however, to be understood that if desired the products being packed may be other than eggs, for example the product may be fruit such as apples or peaches which are easily damaged if unprotected.

In a modified form of the container the flaps 5, 9 and lit are omitted and slits and creases are formed in adjoining side and top, or bottom, portions thus providing article retaining portions which can be pressed inwards towards the interior of the container to restrain the article housed therein against movement out of the open ends of the container.

FIGURES 4 to 6 illustrate diagrammatically the general arrangement of the machine the detailed operation of which will be described with specific reference to other figures of the drawings.

Referring to FIGURES 4 to 6, the machine comprises frame members 13 by which a pair of side-by-side chains 14 are supported for intermittent movement in one direction by an indexing mechanism, indicated generally by the reference 15, FIG. 4, driven by a main shaft 16 rotated by an electric motor 17, FIGURE 5, through a chain 18. The indexing mechanism includes a cam 19, rotatable with the main shaft 16, having a helical track. Studs 20 cooperate with the track of cam 19 and are equi-spaced around a driving disc 21 secured to a cross-shaft 22 carrying sprockets 23 around which the conveyor chains 14 are arranged to pass.

Mounted on the conveyor chains for movement therewith are a succession of equi-spaced container-locating members, indicated generally in FIGURE 4 by the reference 24. Each container-locating member consists of a bottom plate 25, FIGURES 7 and 8, secured to the conveyor chains 14 and a pair of container side-engaging members 26, 27 which extend transversely of the direction of movement of the conveyor chains 14 and which are also secured thereto. The member 27 has a latch 28 pivoted thereto at 29. A spring 30 urges the latch 28 to the position thereof shown in FIGURE 7.

The upper runs of the conveyor chains move the contamer-locating members in succession beneath two or more magazines 31 in which containers collapsed as shown in FIGURE 3 are stacked one on the other for removal one at a time from bottoms of the magazines to be set up on the container-locating members as described below. Two or more magazines are provided, when desired, to accommodate containers having different forms of printing thereon and when each of the magazines is employed, means, forming no part of the present invention and not described herein, are provided to control withdrawal of the containers selectively from the magazines. In the subsequent description it will be assumed that all containers are delivered from only one of the magazines.

When a container is set up on a container-engaging member it is moved thereby in succession to a corner-conditioning station 32, an article-feeding station 33, an idle station 34, and a folding and securing station 35, and the completed containers are delivered from the containerengaging members at a discharge position 36.

FIGURES 9 to 11 illustrate the apparatus by which a collapsed container is removed from a magazine 31 and is set up on a container-engaging member. In FIGURES 4 and there are shown two magazines 31 and FIGURE 9 illustrates the container-removing apparatus for one of the magazines although that for the other of the magazines is identical and there is only one moving part, as mentioned below, which is common to the two sets of apparatus.

The container-removing device consists of four suckers 37, FIGS. 9 to 11, connected through a valve 38, and flexible tubes 39, 40 with an air pump 41, FIGURE 5. The suckers 37 are supported by a sucker carrier 42 slidable axially of a pillar 43 and the valve 38 is also carried by the carrier 42 together with a solenoid 4'4 and a connecting member 45, formed as a bell-crank pivoted at 46 to the carrier 42. In the lowermost position thereof the carrier 42 is arrested by engagement of an adjustable stop 47, a fixed projection 48, FIGURE 9. Movement of the carrier 42 in an upward direction away from the fixed stop or projection 43 is effected by a lifting element 49 secured to a member 59 supported for vertical reciprocation and reciprocated by an arm 51 pivoted at 52, FIGURE 6, to one of the frames 13 and a crank arm 53 connected to a crank 54 rotatable with the main shaft 16.

The lifting element 49, which is the movable part common to the two magazines 31, is provided with a notch 55, FIGURE 9, in which is engaged the V-shaped end of one arm of the bell-crank 45. The other arm of the bell-crank is connected to the armature 56 of the solenoid 44 and when the solenoid is tie-energised the bellcrank is spring-urged to the chain-dotted position, FIG- URE 9, thereof so that the bell-crank is disengaged from the lifting element 49. Thus the solenoid is energised when the carrier 42 is to be movable away from the said fixed projection 48 to effect delivery of containers from the magazine, this being effected by a switch not shown, but should it be desired to prevent operation of the carrier without stopping the machine de'energisation of the solenoid will disconnect the carrier from the lifting member. A cam 57, FIGURE 4, on the main shaft 16 is provided to ensure that energisation of the solenoid will only be effected when the lifting member 49 is in the lowermost position thereof. The extent of rocking movement of the bell-crank 45 can be adjusted by a stop 58 and screw 59.

When the bell-crank 45 is conditioned for engagement by the notch of the lifting member 49 the carrier 42 is raised by the lifting member and shortly after the initial upward movement of the carrier a roller 60 which controls valve 38 is engaged with the high portion of a fixed cam 61 so that suction is applied to the suckers 37. The suckers 37 are moved by the carrier into engagement with the lowermost container in the magazine and are adhered thereto and as the lifting member 49 moves downward the carrier follows it by gravity and draws the container out of the magazine towards the container-engaging member which is located beneath the magazine. As the container is drawn out of the magazine it is moved over fixed guides 62, FIGS. 9 and 11, so that as the container is moved between the container side-engaging members 26, 27 the latch 28 is rocked, clockwise as viewed in FIGURE 7, and the container assumes a rectangular cross-section as indicated in FIG- URE 7 and as shown in FIGURE 12. The latch 28 is restored by spring 30 and retains the container in the set up condition thereof.

As the carrier approaches the fixed stop 48 the roller 60 moves on to the low part of cam 61 so that the suction is cut off from the suckers 37 as the bottom of the container engages the bottom plate 25. The lifting member 49, however, continues to move in a downward direction until it is disengaged from the bell-crank 45 thus permitting resetting of the bell-crank, if necessary, so that it will not be engaged by the member 49 on the next upward movement thereof.

The container is next moved to the corner-conditioning station 32 at which those retaining flaps 6 which are directed towards the interior of the container, FIGURE 12, are pulled upwards and downwards respectively to lie substantially in the planes of the vertical sides 3, 4 of the container. The mechanism for performing this operation is located at station 32 and comprises a pair of lower downwardly directed hook members 63, FIGURES 13 and 14, movable with a lower hook support 64, and a pair of upper upwardly directed hook members 65 movable with an upper hook support 66. The supports 64, 66 are supported for simultaneous movement towards and away from each other by rods 67, 68 axial movement of which is effected by rocking arms 69, 70 secured to rock shafts 71, 72 respectively. The rock shafts 7'1, 72 also have arms 73, 74 secured thereto and the arms 73, 74 are respectively connected to rods 75, 76 which are connected to cranks 77, 78, FIGURE 14, rotatable by a sprocket 79 connected by a chain 80 to a sprocket 81 on the main shaft 16.

As the supports 64, 66 are moved towards each other the inwardly directed retaining flaps 6 are caused to become disposed behind the hooks of the hook members 63, 65 and on the return movement of supports the hooks cause the flaps 6 engaged thereby to be drawn outwards to be located substantially in the planes of the sides 3, 4 of the container.

While a container is located at station 32 the preceding container is located at the article-feeding station 33 at which an article is inserted into the container. An articlelocating stop 82, FIGS. 4 and 13, against which the article is fed is movable into and out of the operative position thereof at station 33 by the lower hook support 64 to which it is secured, thus the support 64 not only operates the lower hooks 63 at station 32 but simultaneously operates the stop 82 at station 33. During movement of the stop 82 to the operative position thereof it folds upwards one of the bottom end flaps of the container at station 33.

Articles to be contained in the containers are fed by an endless conveyor 83, FIGURE 4, driven from the main shaft 16, and are delivered thereby into the path of pusher members 84-, FIGURES l6 and 17, carried by endless chains 85 driven by a sprocket 86 and chain 87 from a sprocket 88 on a shaft 89 which, through sprocket 90, chain 91, and sprocket 92, FIGURE 4, is driven from the main shaft 16.

The pusher members 84 are pivoted at 93 and are urged by torsion springs 94, FIGURE 17, to the inoperative positions thereof. Each pusher member 84 is provided with a roller 95 and as the pusher member is moved to the upper run of the chains 85 it engages a fixed cam 96, FIGURE 16, which is formed in continuation of a guide bar 97 so that as the pusher member approaches the upper run of the chains it is moved about its pivot 93 and against the action of its spring 94 to the articleengaging position thereof in which position it is maintained by the guide bar 97 until it has moved an article into a container and at the instant the article engages the stop 82 the roller 95 leaves the end 98 of the guide bar and the spring 94 withdraws the pusher member quickly away from the article illustrated in chain lines at the left of FIG. 16.

To facilitate the entry of an article into a container at the station 33 the article is fed through a mouthpiece 99, FIGURE 16, which is supported for movement into and out of the facing end of the container located at station 33. The mouthpiece 99 is reciprocated horizontally into and out of the end of the container by a rocking arm 10!), FIGURE 16, pivoted at 161 and rocked about the pivot by a cam 162 on shaft 89 against the action of a spring 103. The mouthpiece is moved into the container in advance of an article moved by a pusher member 84 and is withdrawn from the container before the article is located in the container against the stop 82.

When the container with the article disposed therein reaches the folding and securing station 35, FIGURE 4, the end flaps 9, 1t corner-reinforcing elements 5, and retaining flaps 6 are folded to the positions thereof shown in FIGURE 1 and the locking tags 7 are inserted through the holes 8 in the top and bottom of the container. These operations are performed by the apparatus illustrated in FIGURES 18 to 21.

The first folding operation is performed by two pairs of rotatable end flap folders 104, 105 of which one pair is located at each of the opposite ends of station 35 to effect folding of the end flaps 9, 10 downwards and upwards respectively. The folders 104, are of segmental -form, FIGURE 18, and are secured to gear wheels 106, 107 for rotation in opposite directions in a vertical plane. The gear wheels 106, 167 mesh with each other and the one of the gear wheels 107 meshes with a gear wheel 168 rotatable with a stub shaft 10-9 which in turn is rotated by a chain 110 driven from the main shaft 16. The gear wheel 106 which meshes with the other of the gear wheels 107 meshes with a gear wheel 111 rotatable with a second stub shaft 112 which in turn is rotatable by chains 113, 114 driven from the main shaft 16.

Just as the folders 1114, 165 are completing their folding operations, two pairs of corner-reinforcing flap folders 115, 116, FIG. 20, commence to effect the infolding of the flaps 5 to overlie the flaps 9, 10. The folders 115, 116 have the form shown in FIGURES 19 to 21 and include portions 117 which engage the retaining flaps 6 and fold them against the top and bottom of the container. The folders 115, 116 are rotatable in a horizontal plane, with spindles 118, 119 having intermeshing gear wheels 120, 121 secured thereto. The gear wheel for one pair of folders 115, 116 also meshes with a gear wheel 122, FIG. 20, rotatable with a stub shaft 123 which also has secured thereto a bevel gear 124 which meshes with a bevel gear 125 secured to the stub shaft 109. The gear wheel 120 for the other pair of folders 115, 116 meshes with a gear wheel 126, FIGURE 20, rotatable with a further stub shaft 127 which also has secured thereto a bevel wheel 128 which meshes with a bevel gear 129 secured to the stub shaft 112.

Following the folding of the retaining flaps 6 and before they are disengaged by the folder portions 117, the tags 7 are inserted into the holes 8 so that the tags 7 become locked in position as shown in FIGURE 22. This is effected by four top tag-inserting elements 130, FIG- URE 18, and four bottom tag-inserting elements 131. The top tag-inserting elements 130 are movable with a carrier member 132 supported for reciprocation towards and away from the top of the container by a lever i133 pivoted at 134 and rockable about the pivot 134 by a connecting rod 135 which is connected to a lever 13-6 rockable about a pivot 137 by a cam 133 rotatable with the main shaft 16. The bottom tag-inserting elements 131 are movable with a carrier member 139 supported for reciprocation towards and away from the bottom of the container by a lever 140 also rockable about the pivot 137 by the cam 133. The cam 13 8 is so contoured that the elements 130, 131 have a very quick in and out movement when inserting the tags 7 into the holes '8.

When the container leaves station 35 it is moved by the chains 14 to the position at which it is removed in any desired manner and is delivered to the discharge position 36, FIGURE 4.

If the container is of the modified kind described above the folders 104-, 115, 116 and their associated mechanism can be omitted from the machine and the inserting elements modified, if necessary, to eifect infolding of the article-retaining portions of the container.

We claim:

1. A machine for packing an article in a container made of cardboard or like material comprising a foursided body consisting of a top, a bottom, and two opposite sides, said sides at the opposite ends thereof being provided with container-reinforcing elements hinged ly connected thereto to extend partly across the open ends of the body and be connected to the top and bottom by retaining flaps formed in extension of the corner-reinforcing elements, said machine comprising a conveyor movable intermittently in one direction and provided with container-locating members engageable with said opposite sides of a container, pusher means operable to insert an article into a container positioned between said lo- 7 cating members, retaining flap-conditioning elements operable prior to the insertion of an article into the container by said pusher means to move substantially into the planes of the corner-reinforcing elements retaining flaps which become infolded from said planes during setting up of the container between said container-locating elements, folder elements operable to fold the corner-reinforcing elements of the container across the open ends thereof with the retaining flaps disposed respectively in overlying and underlying relation with the top and bottom of the container, and retaining flap connecting means operable to effect connection of said flaps with the top and bottom of the container.

2. A machine according to claim 1, wherein the retaining fiap-conditioning elements comprise hook members mounted on top and bottom supports respectively for movement towards and away from the top and bottom of the set up container, said hook members being arranged on movement away from the top and bottom of the container to draw said infolded retaining flaps towards said planes.

3. -A machine according to claim 2, including a stop carried by said bottom support for movement thereby into the path of an article being moved into the next preceding container on the conveyor thereby to locate the article in position in the container.

4. A machine for packing an article in a container made of cardboard or like material comprising a foursided body consisting of a top, a bottom, and two opposite sides, said sides at the opposite ends thereof being provided with container-reinforcing elements hiugedly connected thereto to extend partly across the open end of the body and be connected to the top and bottom by retaining flaps formed in extension of the cornerreinforcing elements, said machine comprising a conveyor movable intermittently in one direction and provided with container-locating members engageable with said opposite sides of a container, pusher means operable to insert an article into a container positioned between said locating members, retaining flap-conditioning elements operable prior to the insertion of an article into the container by said pusher means to move substantially into the planes of the corner-reinforcing elements retaining flaps which become infolded from said planes during setting up of the container between said container-locating elements, pairs of oppositely rotatable folders operable to effect folding of the corner-reinforcing elements across the open ends of the container and to fold the retaining fiaps against the top and bottom of the container, and retaining flap connecting means operable to effect connection of said flaps with the top and bottom of the container.

5. A machine according to claim 4, wherein the retaining flap-conditioning elements comprise hook members mounted on top and bottom supports respectively for movement towards and away from the top and bottom of the set up container, said hook members being arranged on movement away from the top and bottom of the container to draw said infolded retaining flaps towards said planes.

6. A machine according to claim 5, including a stop carried by said bottom support for movement thereby into the path of an article being moved into the next preceding container on the conveyor thereby to locate'the article in position in the container.

7. A machine for packing an article in a container made of cardboard or like material comprising a foursided body consisting of a top, a bottom, and two opposite sides, said sides at the opposite ends thereof being provided with container-reinforcing elements hingedly connected thereto to extend partly across the open ends of the body and be connected to the top and bottom by retaining flaps formed in extension of the corner-reinforcing elements, and said top and bottom at the opposite ends thereof being provided with top and bottom end flaps, said machine comprising a conveyor movable intermittently in one direction and provided with containerlocating members engageable with said opposite sides of a container, pusher means operable to insert an article into a container positioned between said locating members, pairs of oppositely rotatable folders operable to of feet folding of the corner-reinforcing elements across the open ends of the container and to fold the retaining flaps against the top and bottom of the container, and retaining flap connecting means operable to effect connection of said flaps with the top and bottom of the container.

8. A machine according to claim 7, wherein the retaining flap connecting means include tag-inserting elements operable in timed relation with said rotatable folders to insert tag portions of the flaps into openings in the top and bottom of the container while the flaps are held against the top and bottom of the container by the rotatable folders.

9. A machine according to claim 8, including carriers for the tag-inserting elements, means to support the carriers for reciprocation towards and away from the top and bottom of the container, link mechanisms connected to the carriers to effect reciprocation thereof, and a cam common to the link mechanisms to effect operation thereof.

10. A machine according to claim 9, in which the end flap folders are supported for rotation and including gear trains appropriate to the end flap folders and said folder elements to effect rotation thereof in unison, and a rotatable shaft common to said gear trains to effect rotation thereof.

11. A machine for packing an article in a container made of cardboard or like material comprising a foursided body consisting of a top, a bottom, and two opposite sides, said sides at the opposite ends thereof being provided with container-reinforcing elements hingedly connected thereto to extend partly across the open ends of the body and be connected to the top and bottom by retaining flaps formed in extension of the corner-reinforcing elements, and said top and bottom at the opposite ends thereof being provided with top and bottom end flaps, said machine comprising a conveyor movable intermittently in one direction and provided with container-locating members engageable with said opposite sides of a container, pusher means operable to insert an article into a container positioned between said locating members, retaining flap-conditioning elements operable prior to the insertion of an article into the container by said pusher means to move substantially into the planes of the corner-reinforcing elements retaining flaps which become infolded from said planes during setting up of the container between said container-locating elements, folder elements operable to fold the cornerreinforcing elements of the container across the open ends thereof with the retaining flaps disposed respectively in overlying and underlying relation with the top and bottom of the container, and retaining flap connecting means operable to effect connection of said flaps with the top and bottom of the container.

12. A machine according to claim 11, wherein the reraining flap-conditioning elements comprise hook members mounted on top and bottom supports respectively for movement towards and away from the top and bottom of the set up container, said hook members being arranged on movement away from the top and bottom of the container to draw said infolded retaining flaps towards said planes.

13. A machine according to claim 12, including a stop carried by said bottom support for movement thereby into the path of an article being moved into the next preceding container on the conveyor thereby to locate the article in position in the container.

14. A machine for packing an article in a container made of cardboard or like material comprising a foursided body consisting of a top, a bottom, and two opposite sides, said sides at the opposite ends thereof being provided with container-reinforcing elements hingedly connected thereto to extend partly across the open ends of the body and be connected to the top and bottom by retaining flaps formed in extension of the corner-reinforcing elements, and said top and bottom at the opposite ends thereof being provided with top and bottom end flaps, said machine comprising a conveyor movable intermittently in one direction and provided with container locating members engageable with said opposite sides of a container, pusher means operable to insert an article into a container positioned between said locating members, retaining flapconditioning elements operable prior to the insertion of an article into the container by said pusher means to move substantially into the planes of the corner-reinforcing elements retaining flaps which become infolded from said planes during setting up of the container between said container-locating elements, pairs of oppositely rotatable folders operable to efiect folding of the corner-reinforcing elements across the open ends of the container and to fold the retaining flaps against the top and bottom of the container, and fiaps folders operable in timed relation with said folder elements and in precedence thereto to fold the end flaps across the open ends of the container to be retained in position by the folded corner-reinforcing elements, and retaining flap connecting means operit) able to effect connection of said flaps with the top and bottom of the container.

15. A machine according to claim 14, wherein the retaining flap-conditioning elements comprise hook members mounted on top and bottom supports respectively for movement towards and away from the top and bottom of the set up container, said hook members being arranged on movement away from the top and bottom of the con tainer to draw said infolded retaining flaps towards said planes.

16. A machine according to claim 15, including a stop carried by said bottom support for movement thereby into the path of an article being moved into the next preceding container on the conveyor thereby to locate the article in position in the container.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,611,527 Fisher Sept. 23, 1952 2,651,898 Kimball Sept. 15, 1953 2,832,182 McGihon Apr. 29, 1958 2,873,565 Arneson Feb. 17, 1959 2,937,486 Ackley May 24, 1960 2,943,427 Fisher July 5, 1960 

